OXFORD, Maine — The state fire marshal’s office said one person has died and another is in critical condition following a fire at a senior apartment complex in Oxford early Saturday morning.
Theresa Heino, 85, died in the blaze that started in a common area of the building and sent thick smoke throughout the building, according to Maine Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.
Virginia Brown, 65, suffered from smoke inhalation and was in critical condition Saturday at Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway. More than a dozen others were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
The fire broke out at Oxford Meadows, a large apartment complex along Route 26 around 2 a.m. Residents were brought to the nearby high school after being evacuated from their apartments.
The smoke detectors in the building were working, McCausland said. Because of its age, the facility did not have fire sprinklers.
The case remains under investigation, he said. An electrical inspector will be brought in Monday to try to determine a cause.